Earliest signs of Parkinson’s in brain

Why is it in news?
  • Recently, scientists said they had found the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease in the brain years before patients showed any symptoms.
  • This discovery could eventually lead to better screening for at-risk people.
More in news
  • A-Synuclein protein:
    (1) The disease is diagnosed by a build-up in the brain of a specific protein, a-synuclein, the cause of which is unclear.
    (2) However some people are born with a genetic mutation that makes them almost certain to develop the disease at some stage in their life.
  • Experiment: Researchers from King’s College London compared data from 14 individuals carrying the mutation with that of 65 non-genetic Parkinson’s patients and 25 healthy volunteers.
  • Identification with serotonin system: They found that changes in the serotonin system in the brains of Parkinson’s sufferers started to malfunction well before other symptoms occurred.
Source
The Hindu




Posted by Jawwad Kazi on 21st Jun 2019